Twenty-One
Twenty-One was a game show. Game Format Two contestants (one a champion, the other the challenger), were both placed in isolation booths, so they cannot hear or see the other's score or progress. Plus, they couldn't see the audience due to the arrangement of the lighting in the studio. The object of the game was to score 21 points as fast as you can, or come closer to 21 points than the opponent. The game was played for up to five rounds. In each round, a category was given, each category has eleven questions of increasing difficulty, they ranged in value from 1 to 11 (one point being the easiest, eleven being the hardest). So any contestant can reach 21 in as few as two rounds. Each contestant in turn (starting with the challenger) with the other's booth turned off, decided how many points to play for, and then a question worth that value was asked by the host. A correct answer added the chosen point value to the player's score, but an incorrect answer subtracted the chosen point value from the player's score (the scores can never go below zero). After the first two rounds, both players' booths were turned on though they still don't know each other's score and they were now given the option to stop the game, but they must stop only if they think they're leading. That's important, because when the game is stopped voluntarily, the player with the most points at that point wins; if they didn't decide to stop the game, the game continues. On games when they didn't stop voluntarily, the first player to reach 21 points won the game. Should the challenger reach 21 first, the champion who has a score of 10 points or more was given one last chance to catch up and take the game to a 21-21 tie or save more money (which will all be explained later); the challenger's booth was left on during that time to make sure he/she can hear everything going on. Winning contestants won $500 times the difference between the winning & losing scores should they win the first game (thus, a 21-0 win is worth $10,500). In case of a tie, new games added $500 more to the pot. Money won by the challenger was taken out of the champion's total winnings; that's why before each game, championship players always get a decision to either play that next game or retire from the show. Trivia International Versions Main Page: Twenty-One/International Merchandise Board Game Lowell (1957) TOBoardGame (1).jpg TOBoardGame (2).jpg Quiz Book Pyramid (1958) TOBook.jpg Photos TO10.jpg TO30.jpg TO29.jpg TO28.jpg TO27.jpg TO26.jpg TO25.jpg TO36.jpg TO40.JPG TO37.JPG TO62.JPG JB21.jpg JB18.jpg JB37.JPG Charles Van Doren TO1.jpg 10373687_1168284493183865_3906328859338081776_n.jpg TO15.jpg TO14.jpg TO11.jpg TO7.jpg TO6.jpg TO5.jpg TO4.jpg TO3.jpg TO2.jpg TO24.jpg TO23.jpg TO35.jpg TO34.jpg TO33.jpg TO32.jpg TO31.jpg TO65.jpg TO64.jpg TO63.jpg JB33.JPG JB30.jpg JB62.jpg JB61.jpg June 9, 1958 Episode TO9.jpg TO8.jpg TO22.jpg TO21.jpg TO20.jpg TO19.jpg TO18.jpg TO17.jpg TO16.jpg Episode Status Video See Also Twenty-One (1982 pilot) Twenty-One (2000) Links Rules for Twenty-One Rules for Twenty-One @ Loogslair.net A tribute to Twenty-One All about Twenty-One Category:Twenty-One Category:Game Shows N-Z Category:NBC Primetime Category:1956 Premiere Category:1958 Ending